Eight Students Earn Pleasant Ridge Woman’s Club Scholarships
(Jan Treuter, June 24, 2024)
Pleasant Ridge, MI – The Pleasant Ridge Woman’s Club awarded $1,000 scholarships to eight outstanding high school students at a reception Thursday evening, June 6.
The selection was a difficult one, with 24 exceptional applications considered. Criteria included academic achievement as well as extracurricular, volunteer, and job activities. Letters of recommendation from school officials, employers, and others also were considered.
Highlights of each awardee’s application were read and parents and guests introduced during the presentations. The students included five from Ferndale High School and one each from Berkley, Mercy and Lutheran High Schools.
Four of the students reside in Ferndale, two in Oak Park, and two in Pleasant Ridge.
Guest speaker Roger Smith, a Pleasant Ridge resident and 1974 graduate of Ferndale High School himself, served as guest speaker providing an entertaining and thought-provoking exercise with an important message. He encouraged the students to work hard to achieve their dreams, to make smart choices in difficult situations, and always remember to be kind and help others along the way.
From left to right are the 2024 Pleasant Ridge Woman’s Club scholarship recipients and the schools they will be attending: Camilla De La Mora, Indiana University; Shane Peltier, Oakland Community College; Truman Nagy, Western Michigan University; Charlotte Keller, Michigan State University; Nathan Halstead, Hope College; Anika Lopes, University of Michigan; and Elizabeth Bringman, Wayne State University.
A very special honor, the Dr. Margaret “Jane” Makulski Scholarship was awarded to Sophie Owens who was not able to attend the presentation because it was her graduation night at Berkley High School. Jane was a long-time, very active, and most beloved member of the Pleasant Ridge Woman’s Club. Her distinguished career as a teacher and later the principal at Berkley High School was a positive influence on the lives of the countless students she encountered. Jane is remembered each year by the loving endowment of a scholarship granted in her name to a student who exemplifies her qualities of leadership, academic excellence, compassion and enthusiasm for all life has to offer.
Funding for the Pleasant Ridge Woman’s Club’s annual scholarship distribution comes from enthusiastic community participation in events including Trivia Nights and a Spring Brunch. The PRWC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to serving the community and promoting peace, charity and higher culture.
